Skoleppar Collection

Along with my pal Marg, a big crocheter, I have been asked to do a Craft Fair at rather short notice next weekend. Knowing from experience that we don't sell much, we are having a joint stand and splitting the expense, and it's a bit of a mad scramble to get stuff together. I am rather sneakily putting out to sell all the Crimble pressies I have been knitting, because if they do sell, I will still have time to knit and replace them (and with a bit of luck, SO'd Law will operate and I'll make heaps of money!). I've also made a pattern leaflet up, as I find these go down rather well. This is the piccy for the front. The blue and turquoise pieces on the right are destined for a Specs case. Scissors keepers or memory stick holders at top and bottom, mug cosy at extreme left, lilac completed spec case next, one of pair of inserts in middle.

Huggie Muggies

Daft name for a daft piece of knitting - other choices are mug cosies, cup warmer. Anyroad up, as they say round here: Machine knitted Shetland wool in Half English or Fisherman's Rib, 60 rows or thereabouts, which goes to the inside of the piece. One edge crocheted with two buttonholes. One wash in machine to full. Two buttons sewn on and voila, instant Crimble pressies. Presented with a cardboard cutout of a mug ('cos some people will think they are wristbands!) and a safety warning about not trying to fit onto a cup of scalding liquid. My favourite is the shades of grey one, with one white and one black sheep button, so I might keep that for myself. Toying with the idea of handknit ones with cables, or even skoleppar, using the points to join through mug handle.

I might embroider some more sheep, need to buy more black felt for the heads. Not my best skill.

Next challenge is the coathangers. Cannot get plain wooden ones locally without a trouser bar, although have found that Tuppy's Emporium do them mail order. Next strategy is to try and get cheap, already padded ones from charity shops or whatever. Watch this space.

Tangling in the Wash

Sounds like the next village to Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, doesn't it? I was making a load of skoleppar scissors keepers for Crimble. (See entry for 2nd June) Instead of ribbon this time, I thought I would crochet braids, leave the ends unsewn until after fulling in the washing machine. If the ends are threaded through the keeper as well as the scissors, then they don't keep parting company. The piccy shows what happened when I put eleven in the wash at the same time! They did a complete tourniquet act round the sleeve of one of my silk blouses. Undoing them was like reverse bobbin lace making. I only had to break one thread though.

I reckon this size is good for memory sticks for the males in the family - for the boys, I am going to put a couple of very old pix of themselves on them.

A larger "keeper" has worked out well as a specs case. Not quite as big as underfoot skoleppar, and still with the opening of one angled section. Evidently Keith's bright yellow and orange one caused a lot of comments at his Luncheon Club today. Because both sides aren't seen at once, different patterns were used - stripes on one side, 2x2 blocks on the other. I'll leave the reader to guess which was the easier side to knit.

Next project for Crimble is huggie muggies - still in the wash, pix to follow.

Local Exhibition

The local museum has a craft exhibition every other year (it's Art in between). I went along with a pile of goodies and also demonstrated on the sock machine over two weekends. Sold one pair of gloves, profit over exhibition fee and sales deduction £3.50 which was a lot better than some other people did!

From the left - basket of spun and dyed Wensleydale and some spinning tools, Sockrates and Heelitrope enjoying the outing, basket of gloves, socks and hats. In front of spinning basket is my scarf of 29 natural dyes, a bag made from Wilko's lustre yarn. I also put the three-and-a-half seasons shawls on display.

The Big Sweat finished

At last, the Big Sweat for little K. is finished, sewn up and posted off. Designing at 140 miles distance drove me to doing a sleeve shaping which is narrow in the forearm part, with internal tabs and external buttons so the sleeves can be shortened by rolling up. Piccy shows short left sleeve, full length right one.

Ican now get on with mini-skoleppar for Christmas!

Baby Blankets

I finished the crochet baby blankets. Strange effect when working on the second one was that the background(return row) colour completely altered my perception of the colours and which to pick next, even though they were in exactly the same order as on the first. Electric light didn't help. Even in the photo you can see that allt he colours seem darker.

Decadent Dazee

I got the companion flower finished at last. In Val Pierce's original pattern for a snail there was a daisy with white petals. I made the pot, stalk and flower on the sock machine, and decided to be clever and make a fringe on the flatbed for hair. Didn't realise what flimsy yarn I had picked up, so she definitely looks as if she is having a Bad Hair Day.

But anyway, Helen at Ruddington Framework Knitters'Museum says she won't alter a thing, and Dazee is here pictured outside the cottages. Last seen in the tea room, obviosly too lazee a dazee to move into the Griswold Sock Room where she truly belongs!